With Pantera crumbling into oblivion, fellow brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul have returned to the metal world with their bastard creation, DAMAGEPLAN.

In an endless stream of hype in the last few months many have had extremely high hopes on this act and in good reason. Both Dimebag and Vinnie were by far the musical muscle behind Pantera’s corrosive ear blasting sound that established the Texas powerhouse as one of metal’s strongest forces ever. On a very disappointing note DAMAGEPLAN just don’t cut it. All but lost are the chugging metallic riffs and double bass drums that Pantera were so famous for in the past. As well, the production just doesn’t do the justice that their loyal fans have become such a custom to. Not that DAMAGE plan should sound like Pantera; it’s just that with their extremely larger then life past, so much more should have come from such talented artists. Sounding more like a nu-metal crossbreed of Pantera and all the rip off followers, DAMAGEPLAN suffers from all the cliches that have flooded the metal realm in the past few years. Trying to find a track on this CD to convince me to give it more of a chance has been extremely difficult and at times down right frustrating due to how damn great Pantera was in their prime. New comer Pat Lachman’s vocals are so sub-par and at times seem so Anselmo influenced that it becomes overbearing and overly insulting.

I’m sure I will keep trying at times to give DAMAGEPLAN a listen now and then hoping something will come of it but for now I will indulge myself with some Superjoint Ritual or Pantera to heal my wounds.